Malawi & More

 A and I had agreed the night before, after a good wardrobe clear out, to head to the nearest charity shop first thing and up we got, got on with the day and off we went. I bought 2 more jigsaws and 2 egg cups while there. We treated ourselves to pastries from the corner shop and then she went to work. BigA was at frisbee and M was still with her dad. I sat in anticipation of my visitor. M, the student who self described as 'a little shit at school'. He came over for a cuppa. He bought flowers and kindness, he essentially looks the same,  but with a beard and tattoos. He said I looked the same too. We reminisced and he remembers things I dragged from my memory. Lots of names of students flying around and finding out who is doing well. And happily he is, he seems happy and content. Although I don't quite see it, he gives me credit for much of this. Even though he was ,'managed moved' when in yr 10. We headed to The Hub, where A was working and we h...

 There is something forever comforting about being at my childhood home, the familiar gurgle of the boiler next to my bedroom, and the water system rumbling to life as the house warms. The sound of gulls and wind and the noise Hilman's collar makes as he shakes off, as is his habit, when they come in from their walk. And of course the endless supply of mummy cuddles, that I have taken in abundance during my weekend visit. For lunch, my big sister had booked in an afternoon tea, one of my Christmas presents - a deliciously savoury one at a cafe on Bells Road. It was warm and cosy, pots of tea and a genuinely delightful plate of all things cheese and meat, with a few vegetable based bits to balance it out. It was good to catch up on proper news and laugh about memories and other stories since we'd last seen each other. It took my mind mostly off my troubles and was such a good reminder that we Ds are made of tough stuff. Not that she's been a D in name for some time. Home to ...

BigA and I set off to Sally and Si's for the majority of Saturday and had a rather lovely lunch and then, my favourite - cheese for tea and we played a modern game of trivial pursuit, which was full of questions about things I have no clue about but any one under the age of 18 might.  Sunday was lovely, beginning with BigA and me under my heated blanket watching TV and then I set off to have my monthly singing session. It really helps my mood and feels good to open my lungs. Great to meet more of Ed's family too.  M and D came for a few days. The garden is now totally ready to spring - muck spreading complete. Although Muck doesn't go as far as we hoped! M&D took me to a lovely local place for lunch. One of my new favourites. We were treated to a small cup of mulled wine as we left. That evening I'd planned a night with 2 NCT pals, all of us loving cheese, chats and a healthy reticence of our children turning into adults and the inevitable empty nest. Perhaps a glas...

  It was a cosy and lazy weekend for me, taking down the Christmas decorations and binge watching the Strike series were my main achievements. And as my mum pointed out, the female lead really looks like my cousin Caitlin.  I applied for a couple of jobs this week - a slightly strange thing to do for me as they weren't as a teacher - throwing my hat into an unknown ring and being acutely aware that I'm not going to be walking into something easily but worth it, if not only for my sense of purpose and potential change. I had a call from one recruitment team and one outright rejection. This could be a roller coaster. Some of them making me very excited and some less so.  It's been nice to have a walk with a pal and tea with another.  I headed to Brixton this week for a lunch date with Sharon - so lovely to finally see where she lives and to be fed an extremely health lunch - I could feel its goodness and would love to have a chef who did that for me every day. I though...

I pulled the curtains to see a field of sheep and given that I'd seen nothing due to fog on the way it was a pleasant surprise. The fitter ones among us went out to ride bikes while I stayed behind and potted about in the kitchen getting a lovely lunch ready and starting dinner. A gentle day of eating and playing games was had and I did a little walk too.  Our week was very calming - despite the squabbles from siblings and non siblings, which made me think of my sister and brother and my yearning for their attention, there was lots of laughter and games.  We had a scrumptious Sunday pub lunch followed by a beautiful walk across the hills of that bit of Wales. I only noticed my knee at the very end when the angle was most steep. Their dog was so full of joy, dashing around and because she's so well behaved, back she came when called. It sort of culminated in New Year. We had a lovely evening with Nick and Hannah feasting on beautiful beef - that was after being the Brecon for t...